Articles tagged with: Research

Every day we are faced with “now or later” decisions. Should I buy that piece of clothing I want now so I can wear it right away or should I wait and hopefully get it on sale? These types of decisions involve the concept of immediate or delayed gratification. Brain research is showing that people’s tendencies in this area often end up being expressed in their eating disorder.

Eating disorder treatment can be lengthy, complicated and may even take several treatment attempts for someone to fully recover.

We know early recognition and rapid intervention is the ideal standard of care and, in many instances, increases a patient’s chance for long-term success. So it’s critical that medical providers become experts at recognizing, referring and treating patients with eating disorders.

A new chapter in a landmark study

Researchers recently conducted a 57-year follow-up investigation of the Biology of Human Starvation study, commonly known as the ‘Minnesota Starvation Experiment’ or the ‘Keys Study.’ The original study, which took place following World War II, proved a remarkable model for the effects of semi-starvation, and has therefore been useful in better understanding restrictive types of eating disorders. To learn more about the original study and the follow-up investigation, we caught up with Dr. Susan Swigart, a co-author of the follow-up investigation and Emily Program psychiatrist.

We are excited to be hosting several continuing education and networking events this spring and summer! Topics for upcoming CEU opportunities including basic signs and symptoms of eating disorders, new treatment techniques, and research updates.

Continued research on eating disorders helps us better understand these complicated illnesses.

The University of California San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research will be conducting a study focused on physiological responses to sensation and emotion in participants who have struggled with anorexia nervosa. The researchers hope to determine whether there are learning differences in individuals who have had an eating disorder compared to those who have not. They believe that this research could eventually help with the development of better treatments for eating disorders.

What is Diabulimia?

“Diabulimia” is a non-clinical term used to describe when people with type 1 diabetes misuse insulin to lose weight. Although diabulimia is not recognized as a formal diagnosis in medical and psychiatric communities, it represents a potentially life-threatening practice.

The image that comes to mind when many people think of an “eating disorder” (ED) is a young female with anorexia or bulimia. But in reality, there is a vast spectrum of ED diagnoses, behaviors, body types, and people who “fit the bill.” The narrow view of the disease that prevails in our society can be extremely harmful, as it often results in a treatable disease going unnoticed.

I have to admit, when I was first introduced to the concept of orthorexia, a condition characterized by an obsession with healthy eating and food quality, I thought, I definitely know some people who have this. From my mom who has rotated between every kind of alternative milk known to man (she's currently on flax milk), to my vegan friend who gives me a 30-minute rant on chard at least twice a week, health-conscious individuals who seem to fit the characteristics of this disease are everywhere. Point being: many people in this day and age are extremely conscious of what they put in their bodies, but as I quickly learned, it takes much more than a strong interest in healthy eating to classify someone as having orthorexia. So what is the difference between people with healthy habits and people who cross over into orthorexia?

Personality traits are often studied in reference to eating disorders in an attempt to better understand the illness and its causes. Two traits that have received a great deal of attention in people with anorexia are impulsivity and compulsivity.

People often think "Eating disorders are a woman's disease." This myth is constantly reinforced by character portrayals on television, targeted advertisements, and even studies and articles that draw from exclusively female samples. The sad reality is that eating disorders affect any and all genders, and those who do not identify as female may even suffer more with the very diagnosis of their disease due to the stereotype that eating disorders are feminine. Therefore, although eating disorders affect each individual differently, it is important to consider one's gender identification in order to increase efficacy for prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease.

The tween years (ages 8 to 14) are often plagued with acne, social anxiety, and desperate cries for independence. Although this life stage is disregarded in many psychological contexts, it's actually vital in the development of identity and reasoning capabilities. The exposure to social messages and expectations during the 'tween-age' years can set the mold for the rest of a person’s life. And considering tweens spend a lot of their time in front of screens—research shows that tweens spend 4.5 hours a day watching TV (and that's to say nothing of time spent online)—it’s important examine the messages that kids in this impressionable age group are consuming.

Research has demonstrated that ADHD shares many common symptoms with bingeing/purging eating disorders, such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attention deficit. While research detailing the relationship between ADHD and eating disorders is scarce, previous studies have indicated that children with ADHD are more likely to exhibit abnormal eating behaviors than children without ADHD, and that individuals with ADHD are three times more likely to develop an eating disorder than individuals without ADHD. Therefore, a diagnosis of ADHD is a crucial component to consider in eating disorder treatment, as many of the symptoms that accompany this attention deficit disorder may exacerbate or prompt disordered eating.